> Reduced tillage, winter cover crops to avoid erosion, green manures being
> more cost effective than nitrogen fertilizers, hedgerows for beneficials,
> IPM management using fewer pesticides, pheromone traps, biocontrols, use of
> pest-resistant varieties, the list goes on....


Most of these were around long before the organic movement and practiced by
farmers. IPM was just not named that but was more by observation. Pheromone
traps were more home made of sugar and other ingredients in an old tin can
on the tree. I do disagree that green manures are more cost effective than
fertilizer, but they were around in Biblical times. As were fish in corn
hills, an early fertlizer.

The shift from them came about because of the increase in farm size and the
labor saving use of fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides to produce food
cheaply.

Because of pests, you can figure output from an organic field will be much
less then a commercial field of the same size. Figure in increased labor
costs and you quickly enter the area of bankruptcy.

It all gets down to cost.

Organic food costs more to produce and therefore cost more to buy. So far,
the marketplace seems to be stuck at about the 20% point for sales. The
shopper compares price and those who can afford it or are organically
committed will buy organic. The rest of us trust the USDA (who also set the
organic standards) to provide wholesome food, which they do.

Just about every test conduced by Consumer's Reports give passing marks to
our food, and shows that even organically certified foods can show pesticide
residue, with the sensitive testing we now have.

I practice organic farming and use zero pesticides, but I also inform
friends who pick them that my corn and apples will contain less than 20%
moving protein.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

*******************************************************
* Search the BEE-L archives at:                       *
* http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?S1=bee-l *
*******************************************************